All language subtitles for Law and order S19E15 - Bailout

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented
by two separate
yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

He saw it in your window
last week and he thought
it would look good on me.

But I don't know,
it's a little,
you know, skanky.

In this economy, sweetie,
if you have assets, show 'em.

Those are fabulous.

Oh, yeah...
I found them
under my pillow.

I want to sleep
where you sleep.

Send this over to
my apartment, okay?

Bodega guy
down on the corner

came out to pick up
the morning papers,

heard a thud,
saw her lying
in the street.

Okay, anybody actually
see what happened?

They say they were
out here, but
nobody saw nothing.

Hey! Don't let those
kids go anywhere.

No ID, a tan line
where her watch used to be.

Expensive manicure, too.

Look at her clothes.

It's a Gucci belt,
Armani jacket.

She's overdressed
for this neighborhood.

She must've taken
a wrong turn.

Got that right.

We already
told those police
we didn't see anything.

White lady gets
into an accident,

and the DTs are
right over, right?

They're not the top dogs.
Their suits are too cheap.

You got jokes, huh?
Well, how about
some answers?

It was a truck that
hit her, man.

A truck hit her,
then just kept on going.

All right, a truck.
Anything more specific,
maybe a license plate number?

Yeah, I got a web cam
in my eye.

Juveniles on the street
after 1:00 a.m.
I think I'm calling ACS.

Come on, man,
we were just playing.

We're not.

Look, the back of the truck
was open, all right?

It had newspapers
stacked up in it.

If that helps you,
I don't know.

It's better than nothing.

Who says
I hit anybody?

You want to wait
for us to match the dents
on your front end

to the bruises
on our victim,
that's fine with us.

Just don't expect
any breaks,
you understand?

Why would I need
a break?

I didn't do
anything criminal.

All right, look,

if you hit somebody
and then you
left her for dead...

You see that?
That's definitely criminal.

Homicide or accident,
your choice.

I think they found
a blonde hair
stuck in your grille.

All right.

It was an accident.
It wasn't my fault.

You're saying
it was hers?

No, it's the delinquents
that were after her.

I was coming down
the street, and out of
the corner of my eye,

I see these kids
around this girl.

One of them,
he goes to grab her,

and out of nowhere,
she runs in front
of my truck.

I couldn't stop in time.
Hey, I feel bad, believe me.

What'd these kids
look like?

Harlem kids.

The one that
went after her,

he was wearing
an orange jacket,
all right?

Turn around.
Come on, Silvio,
turn around.

We're hooking you up,
you and your van.

You're arresting me?

Hey, we feel bad,
believe me.

This is whack, man.
I already told you,

we didn't do
nothing to her, man.
I'm telling you.

We know.
But somebody saw you
talking to her. Sit down.

It's no big deal
if you exchanged words
with her, Carlos.

We just need to know
if she gave you
any information

that will help us
identify her.

I already told you,
she didn't give us
no information, man.

Then you were
talking with her?

- Yes.
- Ah.

Oh, come on. Hold up.
I already told you,

we didn't do nothing
to her, all right?

We just come outside
when we heard Tiny
making a racket, that's it.

Tiny?

Yes, man. Tiny,

that dumb-ass
German shepherd dog
down the block.

You know what I'm saying?
We come outside,

and we hear him barking
at some white lady
coming down the street.

You know, and she looks
all scared or whatever.

She scared of the dog?

I don't know,
just scared, all right?

And I see her clothes
are all messed up,

and she don't got
no shoes on.

I'm like, "Yo, Miss,
you need some help?"
All right?

And that's when
she runs into the street,

and that's when
the truck took her out.

And you didn't put
your hands on her at all?

You or your friends?

No, man. Uh-uh.

Hmm.

Why
am I going to chase
some lady into traffic,

and then sit around
and wait for the police
to come, man?

Because you think
the police are stupid.

Come on.

So, that's it, then?
I'm out of here?

No, that's up to
the D.A.

D.A. Will have
a field day
with his sheet.

Truancy, fare beating,
vandalism...

All the true diversions of
a New York City boyhood.

Well, if he chased
our Jane Doe into traffic,

we'll be adding
murder to his resume.

What's the M.E. Say?

Aside from the injuries
from the truck,

our victim had fresh
bruise marks on her arm
that look like finger marks.

Well, there was green glass
embedded in her clothes...
From the truck?

No. Forensics say
they came from
a window pane.

Well, you have
a well-dressed woman

running in the street
at 1:00 a.m.,

in apparent distress,
barefoot, jewelry missing.

I want to know
what she was doing

before she crossed paths
with Carlos and his crew.

This must be Tiny.

Hi.

You see this good-looking
girl last night?

No? How about
this ugly old mug?

Okay. See, I'm gonna
take that as a yes.

Hey, Lupes.

Check out the window
on the top floor.

Green glass.

The bank foreclosed
on it about year ago.

It's been vacant ever since.

It's priced to move,
but in this economy...

You mind just waiting
in the hallway, please?

This is last Sunday's paper.

When's the last time
you had somebody
in the building?

About two months ago.

We showed the place
to the Harlem
Redevelopment people.

Lupes.

It's her. Blair Carlson.

She has a SoHo address.

Her jewelry's still here.
Watch, earrings...

This lock looks new.

Wasn't here
the last time I was here.

Broken from the inside.

She could have jumped out
onto the roof of the porch.

Food, water,
and mattress...

My guess is,
she wasn't here
for a spa treatment.

When was
the last time you saw her?

Yesterday morning,
around 10:00.
She was on her way out.

Alone?
Yes.

How did she
afford this place?
She come from money?

No. Money came to her.

She was a professional,
is that what you're saying?

Her boyfriend's
Pete Gardner.

CEO of Markham Fraser
Investment Bank?

The Markham Fraser
Investment Bank

that went into the toilet
last month?

That's the one.

She downloaded
some commercial
real estate listings.

Yeah, that was
her new thing.

She said there were some
real bargains out there.

And checked them with
comp sales in Harlem...

And got an IM.

"Hey, babe,
if you wanted to
scare me, it worked.

"Call me now. Pete."

I got this text message
from Blair's cell phone
yesterday, late afternoon.

"We have your girlfriend.
If you want her back,
the price is 200,000."

I thought it was
one of her jokes.
Then I couldn't reach her.

So what did you do then?

I texted them back,
telling them that I was
willing to play ball,

but that I couldn't get
the money until the morning.

You can scroll down,
you can see their reply.

Mmm-hmm.

"Okay for morning drop.
Instructions to follow."

And I never heard
from them again.

Why didn't you
call the police?

Oh, that would go over
well with my wife.

Yeah, sure.

Ms. Carlson
was being held

in a vacant building
in Harlem
that was for sale.

Did you know
any of the people
she was dealing with?

Anybody up in Harlem?

I don't know anybody
up in Harlem,

well, except for
Bill Clinton, of course.

Did anybody else know
about your relationship
with Ms. Carlson?

I actually tried
to be discreet.

What about threats,
from investors
or former employees?

Our security company
logs them all.

My wife will be home
any minute...

Oh, right. Sure, yeah.
Uh, one last thing,

we haven't been able
to reach your
girlfriend's family,

and we need an ID, so...

She should've stayed put.
I'd have paid the damn money.

You bet I sent
Pete Gardner
a threatening letter.

Me and about
10,000 other people.

Yeah, we read some of those.
But yours...

"I will inflict on you
the same pain
you inflicted on others."

Most of my compensation
from Markham Fraser
was in stock options.

I should have
$7 million.

Instead, I'm moving
to Parsippany.

Uh-huh.

Where were you
on Monday?

At my father's
apartment in Queens.

He passed away?

He, uh...
He took his own life.

He was retired.
He put everything he had
into Markham Fraser stock.

And I told him that
Pete Gardner was a genius.

That bastard ruined
thousands of lives,

and he gets to keep
the $48 million bonus
he got last year.

The Great Humanitarian,
gives away millions
to charities,

so he can get in with
the Park Avenue crowd,

while my father,
who actually worked
for a living, is...

It's a tough break.

Yeah.

Lupes...

Look who's shaking hands
with the Great Humanitarian.

Is that...

Yeah, our boy, Carlos.
Small world.

I go to this program,
Fresh Horizons.

It's just some rich dude
who gives us money, man.

The girl that was
run down,

she's that rich dude's
girlfriend.

Oh... For real?

Oh... For real, for real.

She was kidnapped
and locked up

in a building a block
from where she was killed.

I, well... I don't know
nothing about that.

Okay, we found your prints
on a bottle of water

in the room where
she was held. Check it out.

Oh, come on, man.

I seen this on TV,

you lie about
having some BS
evidence or whatever,

and you hope some
dumb homie falls for it.
That's not me.

Tell us where you were Monday.

I was at Fresh Horizons
till, like, 4:00 doing
my programs, all right?

I went down to the river,
I checked out the boats.

After that, I hooked up
with some of my peoples,
like, around 9:00. That's it.

You were checking out boats
by the river?

That is a sorry-ass alibi.

Aw, man.

No, I mean, most guys,
they get their mom

or their girlfriend
to vouch for them.

Someone.

All right, well, let me
tell you something.

I don't got a girlfriend,
all right?

And as for my mother,
she's upstate doing,

like, a three-year bid
over some dope stuff,
all right?

And I can't deal
with the group home,

so I go to the river to chill.
Is that okay with you?

That kid's
a regular Otis Redding.

No, Otis sat by the bay.

And how would a kid
know that Gardner
had a mistress?

Maybe Gardner
wasn't that discreet.

And look, Gardner's worth
over $100 million.

The ransom's, uh,
what, 200 grand?

That's an amount
a kid might ask for.

No, no, no,
a kid would have
asked for the moon.

The kid's prints are
on the water bottle.
I rest my case. Thank you.

Anyway, I know someone
who's going to be relieved.

Our truck driver
is only looking at
leaving the scene.

The girl's kidnapper's
going to take
the weight for her death.

A street kid like Carlos
couldn't put this together.

He would've had to lure
the woman to Harlem,
or driven her there.

There has to be
somebody older involved.

Yeah, but Carlos' homies
are all kids like him.

Check this out.
"Fresh Horizons.

"A post-release program
for offenders from
13 to 18 years of age."

Somebody over there
might know
if Carlos hooked up

with graduates
from the program.

I can't believe Carlos
would be involved
in something like that.

How long has he
been coming here?

Almost two years.
Making good progress,

setting and meeting goals,
attending school,

setting a good example
for people like Ramon here.

Ramon's smart,
he's good with the ladies,

he just doesn't
want to go to school.

You know,
this is for exercising.

Yo, Ronny,
I'm exercising my mouth.

You should be studying
for that GED

if you want to go to
that Knicks game.

We believe that Carlos
was dragged into this
by an older kid.

Carlos follows
his own drummer.

Before he was
in a group home,

he lived with an uncle
who beat him
with a frying pan

trying to break
his will, didn't work.

Carlos have a locker?
Can we see it?

Sure.
They know I check them.

If you guys
down at the precinct

got any old stuff
you don't need,

sports equipment,
chairs, anything...
We could use it down here.

All right, we'll see what
we can dig up, Mr. Aldridge.

This look familiar?

Why would Carlos need
painter's tape?

One of my graduates,
he does some painting
and light construction.

Carlos worked for him.

I use Ronny's kids
whenever I can.
He's pretty persuasive.

He was good to me
when no one else was.

So, do I have to guess
how Carlos messed up?

This woman,

she was kidnapped
and locked up
in the building

that Carlos
helped you clean up.

You know her?

Hey.

Mr. Perez,

if Carlos is
undermining the good work
that Ronny is doing,

you owe it to Ronny
to set it straight.

Ronny refers some of
his rich donors to me.

This lady had me repaint
the gym in her place.

And what,
Carlos went with you?

No. But this lady was
donating a StairMaster
to Fresh Horizons,

and Ronny was gonna
come by with a van

and one of the kids
to pick it up.

Two weeks ago,
Ronny Aldridge.

He had a young man
with him.

Is this him?
No. He was a black kid.

He didn't sign in because
he stayed out in the van.
It was double-parked.

So, Aldridge went up
to Ms. Carlson's
apartment alone?

I went with him.
He runs a charity
for inner-city kids.

He was hustling me
for anything
our residents threw away.

Was Ms. Carlson home
when Aldridge stopped by?

Yes, sir.
She stayed upstairs.

Aldridge was
chatting her up.

Uh, hitting her up for
more donations, probably.

No, actually,
they were talking
about Harlem real estate.

This is George.

Chatting her up
about Harlem real estate.

Aldridge knows Gardner.

It wouldn't be hard
to lure her up
to that building.

Yeah, well, maybe
Ronny isn't the saint
that he claims to be.

Anything
for his boys, you know,
that's what he's about.

But nothing for himself?

Have you seen
where he lives?

In a back room
at Fresh Horizons.

I think he owns
maybe two shirts
and a pair of pants.

Mmm. When was
the last time you
audited Fresh Horizons?

Uh, about two months ago,

and every dime of
public and private funding
was accounted for.

Please don't
tell me I should worry
about Ronny Aldridge.

Uh, well, we're just
trying to figure out

if he had a sudden
need for money, maybe
a gambling debt or...

Oh, dear.

We say
the magic words?

Well, I got a call
from someone

a couple of weeks ago
up in Millbrook.

He said he was
a horse breeder,

asked me all kinds of
questions about Ronny
and Fresh Horizons...

Oh, here. Dale Thornhill.

Aldridge
was interested in
buying my farm.

He's a funny little man,

I doubt he's been
out of the city
one night in his entire life.

Your farm
is this place here?

Yeah. Yeah,
I can't afford
to keep it up.

I live with my daughter
down at the Townsend
horse farm now,

but this is the house.

So, Aldridge
wanted to buy this?

Yup, as is.

He said he wanted
to bring a bunch of
juvenile delinquents up here,

get them out of the city.

I told Aldridge
city kids would
freeze up here,

it's only got
the one stove.

He said he'd already
bought them parkas,
the whole nine yards.

Even had a whole program
of winter sports
to keep them busy.

Yeah.

Yeah,
every fool's got to
have a dream, right?

How much was this dream
going to cost him?

$200,000.

I gave him two months,
until this week,
to come up with the money.

Two hundred grand
for this dump?

It's practically
on the Thruway.

It's worth more.

Aldridge told me
I could claim the difference
as a charitable contribution.

I don't know nothing
about no damn kidnapping,
man, come on!

It was for
a good cause, Carlos,
we'll give you that.

The farmhouse that
Ronny wanted to buy...

He did tell you about it,
didn't he?

He'd been talking it up
for a while. Yeah.

Life would be sweet
up there, right?

Away from all the noise
and the pressure of the city?

Tell me about it.

Ronny said he had
this big house...
Hmm.

...and it was next to
a lake we could skate on,

and in the summertime,
we could swim in it.

You know what I'm saying.
He said it was next to
a ball field or whatever.

You know, we'd have it
all to ourselves.

It was going to be
off the hook. That's it.

And all Ronny needed
was 200 grand
to make this happen.

Look, see,
I don't know nothing
about that, all right?

That's why he asked you
to help him.

Come on, man!

Or maybe he threatened you,
or you just didn't know
what he was up to.

I don't... I don't know!

What do you think
he's going to say
when he finds out

we have your prints
all over those
water bottles, huh?

Look at me. Look...
Come on. Stop, man!

Hey! He's going to
put it all on you.

He's going to say
you and your homies
grabbed that girl.

Ronny wouldn't do that.

Are you sure?

You know what you
sound like, Carlos?

A little boy.

It's time to man up
and tell the truth.

I am a man.
And I am telling the truth!

Look, you guys
took our van,

now you're talking
to the DJJ.
What's going on?

Things aren't
looking good for Carlos.

We found his prints
on bottles where
Ms. Carlson was held.

Now we have a motive.

This farmhouse
up in Millbrook

that you've been trying
to buy as what,
a camp for your boys?

Carlos had some
wrong-headed idea

about coming up
with the money for it.

Carlos is just a kid.

You said yourself,
he follows his own drummer.

He's tough, he's smart.
This is all
within his abilities.

Huh. We found a strand
of Blair Carlson's hair
in the van.

I used that van to
pick up a StairMaster
that she donated.

The hair probably
came off the machine.

Well, Carlos' lawyer
can certainly argue
that point at the trial.

Yeah, we'll tell Carlos
we talked to you,

and give him
your best, all right?

No, wait. I told Carlos
to put water in the van.

I didn't tell him why.
That's why his prints
are on those bottles.

Are you admitting that
you kidnapped Blair Carlson?

I want to talk to a lawyer.

It's okay, guys.
I'll be back soon.

String, you and Lewis
close up tonight.

Charlie, you make sure
you get to your appointment
early tomorrow,

wear a clean shirt.

Ramon, you just keep
studying for your GED.

When I get back,
we'll go to that house
by the lake, all right?

It'll be all right.
Just keep working
on your programs.

Yeah, Fresh Horizons
was one of 20 charities
my company supported.

But I've got to say,
Ronny Aldridge was

the most unrelenting
fundraiser of the bunch,

and always with
the same refrain,
all for his boys.

Did you ever tell him
that Ms. Carlson
was your girlfriend?

Yeah, well, I...
I told him
she was an employee.

But he's a sharp fellow,
I'm sure he figured it out.

We just need to understand
why he targeted you.

Was it opportunity,
or was there something else?

How about spite?

He'd been after my firm
to fund some kind of
camp for his boys.

And I'd promised him
five hundred thousand,

but then the firm
went into bankruptcy.

How did Mr. Aldridge react?

Well, he asked me
for a personal donation,

and I told him
I couldn't do it.

What did he say?

He lowered his ask
to four hundred thousand,
and then three hundred.

I told him he wasn't
considering my situation,

that having a company
crash under you is, uh...

Well, you know,
it's life changing. It's...

Your watch, expensive?

Very. Your point?

Leave it at home
when we call you to testify.

Thanks for coming in.

Where's a newspaper truck
when you need one?

Now, now.
We have everything we need.

Murder and kidnapping
in the first degree.

Charge Aldridge and the boy?

The evidence implicates both.

If Aldridge wants to
clear the boy

with a complete
and free confession,

he's welcome
to do it anytime.

Not guilty
as to my guy.

Same over here, Judge.

People ask for
bail of 500,000
for each defendant.

Carlos had
absolutely nothing
to do with this crime.

Even his co-defendant
exculpated him.

Does this mean
your client has made
admissions, Mr. Dibbens?

Not at all, Your Honor.

Just logistical
explanations to
clear the young man.

Actually, Mr. Aldridge
himself has an alibi.

There are a dozen
witnesses here

willing to swear
as to his whereabouts

on the afternoon
and evening in question.

Ronny didn't do
nothing to that lady.

Yeah, he didn't do nothing.

Sit down and be quiet,
all of you!

Mr. Dibbens, you'll provide
the names and addresses

of these alibi witnesses
to the People.

Bail for each defendant
is set at $500,000.

Aw, man.

Ronny was there
when I came
to Fresh Horizons.

He helped me with
my studying all afternoon,

and then he ordered in pizza.

He spent
the afternoon showing me
how to use a drill.

He said there's a barn
with a wood shop up at
this farm we're going to.

This is unbelievable.
They have him drilling wood,

cracking the books,
playing Ping-Pong...

Yeah, the busiest afternoon
of Ronny Aldridge's life.

They're all lying for him,
and the worst of it is,

he's filled their heads
with this pie-in-the-sky farm.

He was setting those kids up
for a big fall.

What are you going to do
about these alibis?

Well, I'm not worried.
They're stories are
so contradictory,

we can deal with it at trial.

You mean,
when those kids testify,

Michael Cutter's going to
make fools of them?

I'd really hate
to see that happen.

All right.
Come on, guys, here we go.

We're here.
Let's get out.

This is it.

This is the place
Ronny wanted to buy.

So take a good look,
'cause this is all there is.

There's no lake,
no ball field,

no barn for a wood shop.

And the big house
that you were all
going to live in?

No electricity.
No running water.
No heat.

There's no place to cook,
or eat, or sleep.

You know,
Ronny promises
a lot, doesn't he?

And now he's expecting
all of you to lie for him,

and by lying, you become
an accomplice to his crimes.

You don't deserve that.

None of you do,
none of you.

And we're sorry.
We're really very sorry.

Your alibi
witnesses recanted,
every last one of them.

But they did alibi
their friend Carlos.

And he confirmed that
you asked him to put
water bottles in the van.

Not only that,
he said that

you were gone
with the van all that
afternoon and evening.

Carlos is not gonna
testify against me.

He's already agreed.

In return, we're gonna
drop all charges against him.

The emperor has
no clothes, Mr. Aldridge,

and your boys know it now.

We're offering
15-to-life on murder two.

Kidnapping
to run concurrent.

You're playing a hand
that you don't have.

You're welcome to take
your chances with a jury.

You know, that's exactly
what I'm gonna do.

My lawyer says
anything that
I say under oath

can be used by any of
the 10,000 plaintiffs

who've filed lawsuits
against me,

and I won't open myself up
to that kind of liability.

Sit down, Mr. Gardner.

If you refuse to testify,
you'll be charged
with contempt.

And you won't get out of it
by writing a check.

Put me on the stand.

I'll take the Fifth.

You take the Fifth,
and I'll give you something

other than
a few lawsuits
to worry about.

I have a building
full of broke prosecutors

who'd love nothing more than
to put you in their sights.

What do I get out of it?

Have you ever done
something for nothing?

Here's your chance.

That's
the message I got

after I indicated
I'd pay the ransom.

Did you ever receive
instructions to deliver
the ransom money?

No, no. I sent messages
to Ms. Carlson's phone,

but I never got a response.

I had no idea
what happened to her

until the police
showed up at my door.

Thank you.

Mr. Gardner,

you testified
you turned down
my client's request

for a personal donation
of $300,000.

Uh, right. I...
I wasn't in a position
to personally make good

on my company's
charitable commitments.

Isn't it a matter of
public record

that you received
a $48 million
bonus last year?

Objection.
Sustained.

Mr. Dibbens, move on.

Isn't it true that your firm
received assistance from
the Federal government

to help keep it afloat?

A loan from TARP.
It wasn't that much...

An $8 billion bail-out,

that's not
much money to you?

Sustained. I told you
to move on, Mr. Dibbens.

Mr. Gardner,
did you see Ms. Carlson

the weekend
before she disappeared?

No. I was out of town,
on business.

...in Sedona, Arizona.

And what kind of business
were you conducting
in a resort town?

It was a retreat
with 75 of our firm's
managing directors.

And what did this
cocktail-and-golf
retreat cost, ballpark?

Objection.

Overruled.
I want to hear his answer.

Ballpark, 250,000.

Let me understand...

After spending
a quarter million dollars

of the taxpayer's money
on a pool party...

- Objection!
- Sustained.

You couldn't
find room in
your small heart...

Objection, Your Honor!

...to help my client
build a better life
for these boys...

Your cross is over,
Mr. Dibbens.
The jury will disregard.

Dibbens is putting
Gardner on trial.

He's going for
jury nullification.

He wants the jury
to ignore the rules
and vote their emotions.

Yeah, their emotions
on lost jobs

and busted
retirement savings.

And he's insinuating
Ronny Aldridge's
ransom request

was justified
by Gardner's greed.

The Robin Hood defense.

It's worked before.

What are you going to do?

Object like hell,
and show the jury

Gardner's not
the only player here
with a character flaw.

Ronny got us those,
like, a year ago.

He said we would
need them when we
went up to the farm.

Last year?

How long had he been
talking to you
about this farm?

Um, for about a year now.
He kept saying that

we'd get it next month,
and then the month
after that.

What, if anything,
did he tell you about

how he was going to
pay for this farm?

Carlos, you took an oath
to say the truth.

He said that
he'd find a donor.

He said that he wouldn't
let us down, you know?

He...
He said he'd rob
a bank if he had to.

Thank you.

Carlos,
why are you here
testifying today?

Urn, I'm testifying,
uh, because

Mr. Cutter over here
says that I have to.

He's got me
jammed up with this
whole kidnapping thing,

even though
I didn't do anything.

It's not because
you're angry with
Ronny Aldridge, is it?

No, man. Look,

Ronny's like...
Ronny's like a father to me.

I mean,
if it wasn't for him,

I'd probably be
in jail, you know?

Or I'd be on the block
slinging dope.

It's what it is,
you know?

He gave me a place to go.

He gave us all
a safe place
to go every day,

away from everything.

He gave me hope, man.

Indeed. Nothing further.

Redirect, Your Honor.

Carlos, Ronny promised
a laptop computer

for every boy
in Fresh Horizons, correct?

Yeah. He'd been
talking about it for, like,
the past two years now.

Has anyone gotten a laptop?

No, but we still
might get them.

He also told you that

Derek Jeter would
come and spend a day
at Fresh Horizons, correct?

Yes.

And that hasn't
happened either, has it?

No.

Is that what a father is
to you, Carlos,

someone who breaks
his promises,

someone who lets you down?

He doesn't have to answer.

No more questions.

I'm not sure
we're winning hearts
and minds in there.

I don't know.
I think we knocked some
shine off Aldridge's halo.

The way you
ground that kid down

did not play well
with the jury.

I'll take your word for it.

The evidence points
to one thing.

Aldridge kidnapped the girl.

Thanks, Joan.

Well, we're about to hear it
from the horse's mouth.

Dibbens is putting
Aldridge on the stand.

When I picked up
the StairMaster

from Ms. Carlson,
we started talking.

She told me she wanted
to buy commercial
real estate in Harlem,

help the community there.

But she said
Mr. Gardner belittled her.

I told her she shouldn't
get discouraged.

I mentioned the farm
I wanted to buy
for my boys.

I told her Mr. Gardner
had backed out
on his commitments.

How did
Ms. Carlson react?

She got really angry.
She said it was
so little money,

and that his wife,

you know,
spent more than that
every month on clothes.

What, if anything,
did she suggest you do?

She came up
with this wild idea.

She said we could
fake her kidnapping

and force Mr. Gardner
to pay a ransom.

Ms. Carlson said
that Mr. Gardner
wouldn't call the cops

because he didn't want
his wife to find out
he'd cheated on her.

How did you react
to Ms. Carlson's suggestion?

It was a wild idea,
but I didn't want
to let my boys down,

so I went along.

What did you
and Ms. Carlson do?

I picked her up,
I drove her to the building
on Lenox Avenue.

She said we had to
make it look real.

So, after I texted
Mr. Gardner asking
for a ransom,

I locked Ms. Carlson
in the room with
some water and food.

Why lock her in the room?

Because the plan was,
after I got the money
from Mr. Gardner,

I would tell him
where Ms. Carlson was,

and he'd go there
and find her.

If that's true,
why would she try to escape?

I don't know.

It took so long
for Mr. Gardner
to get back to me

about the ransom payment...

There were rats
in the building,

maybe Ms. Carlson
got scared.

You know, by the time
I got back up there,

the police were
down the block,

Ms. Carlson was
lying in the street.

I realize now
how stupid it was.

I just wanted Mr. Gardner
to live up to his commitment.

I'm sorry.

Thank you, Ronny.

This testimony is
unexpected, Your Honor.

The People request
a short adjournment.

You have until
tomorrow morning.

Is there a chance
there's a grain of truth
in what he said?

The story is preposterous.

It's unlikely,
but it's not implausible.

Pete Gardner is a jerk.

I could see
his mistress wanting
to play a trick on him.

You can't be serious.

Aldridge's story is
just plausible enough

to give the jury
the fig leaf
it needs to acquit.

If you want a conviction,
demolish his story,

and don't leave
a brick standing.

I already told you,
I don't know
why she ran off.

Maybe it was the rats,

or staying in that
dark building.

Well, Carlos told the police
that she was running
down the street, terrified.

Does that sound like
someone who was
scared by a few rats?

I don't know.
You know, sometimes
Carlos exaggerates.

Why was Ms. Carlson
barefoot?

Didn't you take her boots
to restrict her movements?

No.

How do you explain
these bruises on her arms,

from someone
grabbing her hard?

Uh, maybe
Mr. Gardner did that.

Mr. Gardner
was away in Arizona.
These bruises were fresh.

You're responsible
for these, aren't you?

No.

You think Mr. Gardner
should take the blame
for everything.

He didn't live up
to his commitment.

No, he left you with
a promise to your boys

you couldn't possibly
fulfill, isn't that right?

I was going to come through.

Oh, like you came through
with those new laptops,

or visits from
superstar athletes?

Weren't you worried
your boys would stop
believing in you?

No.

Fresh Horizons is
all you have, isn't it?

You got no family,
no home...

Fresh Horizons is
all the family I need.

But over the years,
many of your kids

have been diverted
to other programs.

Well, there's only
so much money
to go around.

Now, you're down to,
what, 16 kids,

playing on 10-year-old
computers and lop-sided
Ping-Pong tables.

It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter!

It's a safe place for them,
and it's a good structure.

But more than that,
it's a good structure
for you, isn't it?

It's a safe place
for you.

It's for them.
Not for me.

We know what this case
is really about.

With humble means
but a big heart,

my client has been working
to save young men

from the thug life,

from a life of
ignorance and violence.

He is accused of
victimizing Peter Gardner,

a wealthy man
who has wrung his bread

from the lost savings
of thousands.

Objection. Mr. Gardner
is not on trial here.

And I want to know
what those pictures are

that he's handing out
to the jury.

Photos of
Mr. Gardner's
townhouse,

published in
Architectural Digest.

The Court Officer will
collect the photos
from the jurors.

Mr. Dibbens,
stick to the facts.

Ladies and gentlemen,
you'll come
to your conclusion

as to the truth of
my client's testimony.

But the one fact
that is undisputed

is that Blair Carlson
would be alive today

if Peter Gardner had
had the decency to
honor his commitment...

Objection, Your Honor!

Sustained.

The jury will disregard
defense counsel's
last statement.

That's it, Mr. Dibbens,
your summation is over.

There is another fact
that is not in dispute,
ladies and gentlemen.

Blair Carlson
would be alive today

if the defendant
hadn't transported her
to a vacant building,

hadn't locked her
in a dank, filthy room,

and left her there,
barefoot, in the dark,
for eight hours.

Hadn't so filled her
with terror that

she fled down a fire escape
and ran, disoriented,
into the path of a truck.

Now,

as to Mr. Gardner,

he and his
Wall Street friends

well deserve
your scorn and outrage.

You are not alone
in hoping that they
get their just desserts

for the pain
and the destruction

that they have wreaked
on this city
and on this country,

but not in this courtroom.

Not today.

Mr. Gardner and his friends
committed their transgressions

by flouting the rules
and ignoring
their responsibilities.

And you cannot punish them
by ignoring yours.

It would tell those
very boys whom Mr. Aldridge
claimed to save

that the rule of law
means nothing.

The crime charged today
is the kidnap-murder
of Blair Carlson.

The culprit
is here before you.

And nothing else
can matter.

Has the jury
reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

On the count of murder
in the first degree,
how do you find?

We find the defendant
not guilty.

On the charge of kidnapping
in the first degree,
how do you find?

Not guilty.

Thank you. Thank you.

You nailed
Aldridge on cross.

The summation was
one of your best.
You did everything right.

Except win.

I should file a grievance
against Aldridge's lawyer.

He didn't nullify that jury.

Dow Jones did.

Maybe it's the shape
of things to come.

With hard times,
there'll be more anger,
more despair, more crime.

We can always
hope for the best.

And hire more prosecutors.